England started this Cricket World Cup as favourites. For once confidence was as high as expectation. They were ranked number one in the world. The team was settled, rich in batting talent and now, with the inclusion of Jofra Archer and a fully-fit Mark Wood, had a formidable pace attack. Early matches went swimmingly, and, though the injury to Jason Roy was a blow, they were on course to cruise into the knock-out stages. Now after losing to Sri Lanka and Australia, their chances are hanging on a decidedly shoogly peg. They are almost certainly going to have to beat India and New Zealand to reach the semi-final, and while, in one sense, New Zealand’s loss to Pakistan might be encouraging, in another it certainly isn’t, for it means that Pakistan are now snapping at England’s heels.
So what’s gone wrong? Some on social media are quick to say “same old England” – folding, they imply, when the going gets tough. Others, more pertinently, point out that it’s one thing to run up huge scores on flat pitches, another to bat on slower ones when the pressure is on. There may be something in this. Pressure tells and England’s ground-fielding and catching have both been more fallible than has been usual.
